In the modern market of roofing materials , a wide variety of coatings are presented in a wide assortment and belonging to different price categories: from budget to expensive options. At the same time, the attention of buyers is concentrated not only on price, but also on the quality of the purchased goods. Among the available, but corresponding to all technical requirements, operational characteristics are ondulin, the pros and cons of which are to be studied today.
The invention and production of this option roofing
For more than 70 years of industrial evolution, this material, invented in 1946, has received considerable fame. The first batch of ondulin was released by Gaston Gromier and literally “thrown” into the market. At first, the consumer sector was wary of such a novelty, but a year later the factory launched all production facilities. They were aimed at producing an ondulin coating, which became popular not only in domestic open spaces, but also in neighboring European countries. They began to actively export it.
Ondulin and domestic industry
The Russians about ondulin became known only at the end of the last century, when it was impossible to say about the domestic consumer that he was spoiled with high-quality cheap goods and building materials. It is the described material that has become the product that has shown in practice that imported goods are not always characterized by high cost. This period is characterized by the construction boom associated with the replacement of traditional slate with an alternative and no less reliable option - ondulin, the pros and cons of which many buyers have already managed to appreciate.
The world's best material manufacturers
Due to the quality of their products, about which negative statements were rarely found, and the cost of the material, the French in a record time mastered the world market, selling not only materials, but also the technology for the manufacture of ondulin coating. This made the material sold under different brands available today. Among the quality, according to customers, characterized by a mass of positive properties of ondulin, production:
- France - Onduline;
- Belgium - Aqualine;
- America - Nuline;
- Turkey - Corrubit;
- Germany - Bituwell.
When choosing a manufacturing company, it is worth considering that the sheets of material from each supplier differ in size. So, giving preference to a particular brand, remember this so as not to be mistaken in calculating the required amount of material.
Technical characteristics of domestic ondulin
The length of the ondulin sheets is 200 cm, the width is 95 cm, the thickness is 0.3 cm, the wave height (corrugation) is 0.36 cm. The weight of the standard sheet is 6 kg, which is 20 kg lighter compared to a conventional asbestos slate sheet. The strength characteristics of ondulin are not inferior to the usual slate and even surpass it, and the installation is characterized by simplicity.
Ondulin is supplied to the market in the form of sheet plates equipped with fasteners in an amount of 20 pcs. for 1 unit of products.
What this material consists of
During production, raw materials can be processed under high pressure and temperature. The composition of ondulin includes:
- fiberglass;
- cellulose fiber;
- refined bitumen;
- mineral compounds that replace the filler;
- mineral pigments coloring material;
- thermosetting resin.
Reviews about ondulin: pros and cons according to customers
The consumer sector is interested in what advantages and disadvantages this or that type of material has. First of all, those who are going to purchase building materials pay attention to the recommendations and reviews not of consultants and sellers, but of those who, like them, once stood before a choice and had already tested ondulin on their own roof.
From the reviews and recommendations of customers on the Internet and on the forum about ondulin, the pros and cons of the material, as well as other operational characteristics of the material, we selected the most interesting ones, clearly emphasizing the pros and cons. They are marked by hundreds of buyers across the country. And they were generalized into two groups, better than others characterizing ondulin as a roofing material.
So what are the pros and cons of ondulin?
Positive aspects of using the material
Among the advantages inherent in ondulin are the following characteristics:
- Plasticity of the material, which allows it to survive various kinds of loads. So, when hammering a nail, do not worry about the surface cracking. The composition of the sheets containing bitumen eliminates the need for additional impregnation of the material for the roof slope with hermetic mixtures designed to putty on the fixing holes. Bitumen itself is an excellent sealant.
- Ondulin is resistant to minor mechanical damage, for example, to scratches.
- This is one of the best silent roofing in the world today.
- Under the influence of sunlight, ondulin practically does not heat up, which allows it to be compared with a ceramic coating, although inferior to metal products.
- Ondulin - a coating on the roof of the house, characterized by excellent thermal insulation properties. Although it is impossible to say that ondulin is suitable as an alternative replacement for any material.
- Moisture never accumulates under the ondulin layer, which means that the possibility of condensation is almost impossible.
- On the surface and under it, colonies of pests, for example, fungi, do not form. Together with frost resistance and resistance to sunlight, temperature and humidity extremes, this roofing material can serve up to 25 years, as the manufacturer claims. It turns out that the pros and cons of ondulin also affect the life of the coating, depending on the quality of the material and production technology.
- Ondulin is an environmentally friendly material consisting of natural components. In addition, it can be painted in any color, at the request of the buyer, so that fits any landscape design, organically fit into it.
- Light weight sheets, which is important for a number of reasons:
- there is no need to strengthen the entire roof structure or its individual sections: the rafter system and the crate;
- working at height with such material is simple and easy, you don’t have to ask for help from a neighbor or friend, because you can manage lifting sheets on the roof yourself, without risking safety: neither yours nor the people around you;
- this material is easier to store and transport even in the trunk of your own car, which will fit up to 50 sheets of ondulin, the total mass of which will be no more than 300 kg.
Some material flaws
Now familiarize yourself with the downsides of ondulin, and take the pros. This is useful to you both when choosing a material, and at the stage of installation work, which, incidentally, is easy to do yourself without the help of specialists, which provides an opportunity for additional savings.
- Not all manufacturers guarantee a flawless appearance of their product throughout the entire operational period. Burnout is not excluded. This process is characterized by gradualness, and its intensity depends on the type of pigment and its color. So, brown and red colors fade slowly, gradually changing its shade to a dull one.
- The uneven distribution of bitumen, which leads to uneven burnout, can spoil the roof of the house. As a result, the roof becomes spotty and far from aesthetic.
- The pros and cons of the roof of ondulin are very contradictory and due to the velvety structure of the coating, which, when constantly in the shade, becomes a favorable "soil" for the development of moss and other green vegetation.
- Caution - the material is flammable. This is one of the biggest disadvantages of the coating. The pros and cons of ondulin and tiles in this regard are obvious, since in this regard, the buyer gives preference to the latter of the options. When heated to +200 ° C and above, ondulin is prone to spontaneous combustion.
Summarizing
As you can see, this material is not without errors, but are there any shortcomings in slate, and tile, and other roofing material? What exactly to give preference to is up to you. Construction is a serious matter, and the roof is the foundation that saves the future home from above, and who knows whether they will invent a better coating in a couple of years than those on the market, but so far Ondulin is firmly and confidently holding its sales position, being the best alternative to roofing materials for external use. Now blocking a house, bathhouse, gazebo, garage or other building is simple, reliable and inexpensive with the help of ondulin.